Come next Thursday, a 30-year career of public service will come to an end as Lyon County 3rd District Commissioner Rollie Martin heads off into retirement.
Martin has served on the Lyon County Commission for the past 16 years, including 12 as commission chairman, and before that, he gave 14 years of service to the USD 252 Southern Lyon County School Board. This path is fitting for Martin as throughout his time on the county commission he has been a staunch supporter of education in all forms.
Martin says he supports education so thoroughly as he has had numerous opportunities to see its importance and impact on many not only locally but around the world.
Another area Martin has focused a great deal of his attention has been the Lyon County Fairgrounds. Martin says during his initial commission training, a speaker encouraged him and others to find such a focus for however long they were in office.
As he looked back at these accomplishments and others, Martin also reflected on many of the challenges he and his fellow commissioners faced paying special attention to the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of the city/county comprehensive plan and the ongoing saga between Newman Regional Health and Stormont Vail Health as prime examples.
Martin says these were all situations that resulted in difficult decisions that did not always find favor with all county residents. When asked how he managed to navigate those turbulent times, Martin says it was always important to listen and sympathize but above all else stick to his principles.
Martin’s final commission meeting will be next Thursday at 9 am inside the Lyon County Courthouse Commission Chambers. A retirement reception will be held for Martin later that same day from 1 to 4 pm in room 201 of the Lyon County Courthouse.
In November, county voters selected Chris Bartel to replace Martin as Lyon County District 3 commissioner.
